Now this angry New Yorker will certainly not tell Kat what to do.
And what's all this then about lefty's and Gibson. I'm a lefty. But don't ask why I play righty.
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Thunderbird Club
- Thread starter TBird1958
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Now this angry New Yorker will certainly not tell Kat what to do.
And what's all this then about lefty's and Gibson. I'm a lefty. But don't ask why I play righty.
- Mar 13, 2008
- 18,897
- 142,236
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- Endorsing Artist Mike Lull T Bass pickups, The Bass Shop, Seattle WA.
See I was thinking that the dexterity of the dominant hand could be well utilised for fretting.
hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
I disagree with you there. I fail to see why we need to keep Henry J's agenda in mind at all. HE should keep his customer's agendas in mind. There was a time when a loyal customer was more valuable than gold. I mean think about it... they have customers waiting like baby birds, that snatch up everything that comes out the door, and beg for more. Isn't that success? Isn't the next logical step, to expand to accommodate the orders? Hank's indifference to his product and customers, is the root of the problem. He doesn't understand or care why his customers want his products. He doesn't know or care what makes his products good or bad. He doesn't understand or appreciate the historical significance or "tradition" of his own products (well... he understands it enough to manipulate it in his sales schmaltz), nor does he understand or care about the bond that a musician forms with their instrument. He simply doesn't know (or care) that taking something like the Thunderbird (for instance) out of production, makes him a raging douche bag. The only thing that matters is how the books look at the end of the month. A man who doesn't understand soul, is making a very soulful thing for soulful people. He would be a better fit at Samick (or anywhere that doesn't make musical instruments).As long as you admit that I'm right
I don't disagree. But, I think we need to keep Henry J's agenda in mind. He is not a musician. He has no passion for musical instruments (that can be seen). He bought cheap assets/a collapsing business. What he is looking at is a turn around opportunity. To that end, he needs to sell the business at some point to realize his gains from the turn around. He will either sell into a roll up (Fender-Gibson anyone?), sell to a private equity fund that will operate the company for the cash flow, or float the company publically. For any of those, to maximize his returns, he needs to show the greatest sustainable profit. That means minimum wage CSRs.
My prediction - the public float is unlikely to be possible in the current market (luxury goods are not doing especially well). That could change. Most likely, Gibson will be sold to a Japanese music company that understands how to do an industry roll up. Top of my list is Gibson becoming a unit of Yamaha.
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hillerup
There are basses, and there are Thunderbirds!
@theFixer : This is a real Cherry coloured Thunderbird...
And damn, are those pictures by the seller crappy... One would have thought that when posting pictures of something you want to sell, at least you would post some that are in focus and fairly clear/sharp...
Definitely NOT my kinda city... Will most likely never visit, though there are a few places I'd like to see there.
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I still love my Russian EHX bass balls pedal, although I get thoroughly ridiculed by my guitarist every time I get it out!
It's snowing outside. Managed to find a totally hoofing pizza 5 minutes before the shop shut. There's not a lot going on in the outer suburbs of Queenstown. Might see if there are any Thunderbirds to be found. Probability = 0-ish.
Irma. Me auld mum is in Coral Gables, staying at a friends' house, who've gone out of town. The house is in a low-lying area- next to a canal- and I'm trying to get her out of there- from my house in Rhode Island. Dunno if the current technology is going to help or not. So I'm not at work yet... kinda wish she's stayed at her own apt building, which is full of people (good) and well up off the ground. ***... mom...
It'll be ok, it's just a pain to have an emergency that you know about, so far away, with your people there.
It'll be ok, it's just a pain to have an emergency that you know about, so far away, with your people there.
They sounded great!
I hope your mom will be ok, Roger. It's so hard being so far away at a time like this.
I'm in the same situation... I called my parents on Wednesday. My mom would like to leave but my dad is hunkering down like most of the neighborhood. He has offered to put her on a plane but she won't go without him. It's aggravating!
My brother called them last night... they're still staying.
They are just a bit above canal level all around their development and their street floods when all they've had was a good solid rainfall. This bothers me to no end that they haven't gone north... they have the means to not be there for Irma and he is choosing to stay.
Their home is probably 6' above the roadway and 12' above the canals. I hope they're going to be safe but there's all the wind to contend with as well.
They sounded great!
I hope your mom will be ok, Roger. It's so hard being so far away at a time like this.
I'm in the same situation... I called my parents on Wednesday. My mom would like to leave but my dad is hunkering down like most of the neighborhood. He has offered to put her on a plane but she won't go without him. It's aggravating!
My brother called them last night... they're still staying.
They are just a bit above canal level all around their development and their street floods when all they've had was a good solid rainfall. This bothers me to no end that they haven't gone north... they have the means to not be there for Irma and he is choosing to stay.
Their home is probably 6' above the roadway and 12' above the canals. I hope they're going to be safe but there's all the wind to contend with as well.
I'm hoping the best for both of your families along with everyone else and their families that are in Florida.
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Haji
Supporting Member
Gibson does own other brands but doesn't appear to have done as well with most of them. They bought Tobias and ended up using it to brand beginner instruments. From Wackypedia:
"Gibson also owns and makes instruments under brands such as Epiphone,Kramer, Maestro,Steinberger, and Tobias, —along with the ownership of historical brands such as Kalamazoo, Dobro, Slingerland, Valley Arts, andBaldwin (including: Chickering, Hamilton,Wurlitzer)."
Henry might be better off of he was a player. Taylor Guitars is doing outrageously well, and Bob Taylor (who's been a family friend for near 40 years) is a BEAST of a guitarist. He's also incredibly talented and a man of integrity, which also doesn't hurt.
"Gibson also owns and makes instruments under brands such as Epiphone,Kramer, Maestro,Steinberger, and Tobias, —along with the ownership of historical brands such as Kalamazoo, Dobro, Slingerland, Valley Arts, andBaldwin (including: Chickering, Hamilton,Wurlitzer)."
Henry might be better off of he was a player. Taylor Guitars is doing outrageously well, and Bob Taylor (who's been a family friend for near 40 years) is a BEAST of a guitarist. He's also incredibly talented and a man of integrity, which also doesn't hurt.
Gibson's biggest problem is overproduction. They liter handpicked stores with guitars that won't get bought. The demand is high enough to make profit, but they fail to realize the first and most important law of economics. If you produce more than you sell you can't raise prices. Either produce less or lower the prices.
Gibson guitars aren't really a veblen good, because that would mean sufficient demand even at their price tag, but they act like they are.
Eventhough they're in debt themselves fender is way smarter. They got few guitars in most, even the smallest, stores and if there's no boutique stuff they're most likely the top offer. That's a huge psychological signal for the possible customer.
So I even think this guy would fail to sell bread in famine. It's not down to guitars.
I'm not trying to justify Henry J's behaviour.
I don't disagree that a good company needs to make product/service at a quality level and price point that the target market wants. And that it should do the work required to understand its target customers and provide them with product and service commensurate with expectations.
What I am trying to do is present some of my analysis Henry J's history and behaviours and what that reveals about what he is trying to do with Gibson and the likely outcomes. I spent over a decade as a research analyst at investment banks - those are the guys that write the reports telling you what stocks to buy/sell. To be successful in that, you have to have a knack for reading the tea leaves to see where a company is going then have the foresight to see how it will all play out in the industry. That is what I have done with Gibson and I think that you will see the company bought by a Japanese instrument maker and Yamaha tops my list. FWIW, I think that Gibson as a Yamaha company would produce outstanding instruments and could regain the esteemed position that it used to have.
Indeed. I don't think that Henry J is selling guitars. He is selling a company. He took on Gibson as a turnaround project. To see your return on a turn around, you have to sell in the end. Henry J's product isn't guitars, it is Gibson. He will do what it takes to see the company sold as a going concern to someone else. We can hope that it is someone with a passion for music, but that isn't essential to the turn round artist.
Maybe it's because I grew up in the Capital Land upstate, but a trip to NYC was always something we looked forward to. I always loved it there but of course I never lived there and was more of a "tourist" when I was lucky enough to have a reason to go there.
If you have a desire to check it off the bucket list, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Maybe it's because I grew up in the Capital Land upstate, but a trip to NYC was always something we looked forward to. I always loved it there but of course I never lived there and was more of a "tourist" when I was lucky enough to have a reason to go there.
If you have a desire to check it off the bucket list, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Just been here to long, i'm burnt out on this place.
